by Gulfnews – Joseph A. Kechichian, Senior Writer

Beirut: Thousands of protesters marked Labour Day on Monday as labour
union leaders vented their anger against authorities who struggle to
deliver on promises of pay rises. The demonstration coincided with
the recent anger over the government’s decision to delay the
long-awaited salary rises for teachers, civil servants and the military. On
Sunday, the National Federation of Workers’ and Employees’ Trade Unions
(FENASOL) and the Domestic Workers’ Union in Lebanon (DWUL) held a
pre-protest to express anger over the delays and also organised Monday’s
rally near its headquarters at the Cola Roundabout, led by Castro
Abdullah, the organisation’s chairman. Abdullah declared that,
“May 1st [2017] comes carrying with it more tragedies and crises that
make joy and hope for a decent life something very far-fetched for the
working class”.

The Lebanese Communist Party added its voice to
the Monday rally, while tenants upset with the government’s latest
proposals to increase fixed rents, rallied in Beirut’s Ashrafieh
neighbourhood. Ahead of the demonstrations, Prime Minister Sa‘ad Hariri marked
Labour Day with an assurance that the Lebanese government was ready to
tackle all challenges and already began implementing a series of
measures to reduce competition for the Lebanese labour market. Hariri
clarified that authorities were working to alleviate the suffering
faced by workers, and said various measures to reduce “competition for
the Lebanese labour force, actuating the economic cycle and encouraging
investments to increase employment opportunities” were already being
implemented.

The premier reiterated his pledge to present the
proposed wage scale to the parliament as soon as possible while pointing
out the realities of the market being flooded by cheap Syrian manpower —
one of the many repercussions of the six-year Syrian civil war next
door. Hariri reiterated that the influx of Syrian workers deprived
Lebanese of jobs — many who are in serious economic need. He pointed out that the refugees were also placing a huge strain on public services.

However, he assured the public that Lebanese workers remained the “pillar” of the general production cycle.

Last
month Hariri sounded the alarm that Lebanon was close to “breaking
point” due to the strains of hosting 1.5 million Syrian refugees, and he
feared unrest could spiral from tensions between them and Lebanese
communities.

Refugees make up a quarter of Lebanon’s population,
and most live in severe poverty in makeshift camps across the country as
the government opposes the creation of formal ones.

The Syria war
has weakened Lebanon’s economy, fuelled tension among Lebanese allied
to the rival sides, and triggered a number of terrorist attacks. But
there has so far been no significant violence between Syrian refugees
and Lebanese host communities.

Hariri urged the international
community to commit to spending the equivalent of $10 to 12,000 per
refugee over a period of five to seven years, compared to the current
level of foreign support equivalent to $1 to 1,200 per year.

Lebanese
officials, citing World Bank figures, say the cumulative cost of the
Syrian conflict to Lebanon was $18.15 billion to the end of 2015.

Lebanon’s
annual economic growth has slowed to just over one per cent from an
average of 8 per cent before the Syrian war, officials have said.

The
government is seeking financial support for a programme of public
sector-led investment in infrastructure to boost the economy, and to
increase the number of Syrians in education.